Show II II 11 II Conservation Notes by bf By W. W Earl III I am wondering If we havo ever er stopped to correlate the soil y to our health condition Dr Wm I. I Albrecht famous soil chemist Is fabricated has said Food only y soil fertility t The Farm arm and Ranch maga maga- magazine magazine zine for April 1917 carried an I interesting editorial on this sub sub- The editor brings out that the importance of health of the people of good soil tho trio necessary minerals is beginning g to receive wido nation Wo We have hayo long known that people living In areas of poor poo r soil were as a rule poor In pocket pocket poc pod ket and not up to the standard d in In health We Ve formerly accepted 1 that fact as something able Only within recent years year s have hae we discovered ered tho the relationship relationship relation relation- sh ship lJ of or soil to health and found means of making up the ency During tho the war medical ex ex- examiners examiners were astonished to find that husky looking lookin g young oung men from rural districts often lacked the tho stamina necessary necessary sary to the making of good sol sol- diers Investigation disclosed tho the f fact ct that the tho food they had bad been eating although abundant in quantity was grown on land deficient deficient de de- In those minerals or vitamins vit vit- antins essential to normal tion We Ve have haye learned that wo we can grow plants which are to all appearances healthy and vigorous but which are almost totally without food value The Tho minerals or trace d elements ole ele c- c ments of which some somo 55 are al already already al- al already ready recognized as essential to normal nutrition have ha been washed or leached out of our soils They must be replaced if we arc are to produce food either animal or vegetable that will develop a strong and vigorous race of people We have havo only made a beginning in the tho study of the tho so-called so trace elements A few are arc recognized as extremely extreme extreme- ly Iy Important and attention la Is being given giyen to the tho need for using using using us- us us us- ing them in manufactured feed for livestock We feed what we weare weare are arc pleased to call mineral sup sup- It would be better however if we could determine the deficiencies in our soil and provide these necessary elements through the plants It Is encouraging to note that the research men in our e experiment ment stations are giving more moro and more attention to the relationshIp relationship relationship rela rela- of the soil to nutrition Progress along those lines will willbe willbe be reflected in a more vigorous and healthy people |